Not Where We've Been
by PersephonesNauticalNun
Summary: Takes place after It's Where You're Going. What new obstacles stand in Spencer and Ashley's way?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

_Whoo hoo! The not so long awaited sequel. Let's see what new things stand in the way of our two favorite girls. I told you there was more Spashley goodness in me. Thank you all for your reviews, and such. They mean a lot to me. This story takes place after It's Where You're Going. If you haven't read that, I suggest you go track it down and read it first. Otherwise, this might not make sense to you._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 1**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

Happiness is short lived, I've come to find. It's like no matter where I turn, something is always standing in my way. Ashley says it'll always be like this. There will always be somebody telling us we're wrong, and something to remind us that we're different.

What makes this entire situation okay, is the fact that I'm not doing this alone. Ashley's been with me every step of the way. I'd be lost without her.

We both decided it wasn't necessary for my mom to know about us just yet. We've had enough drama. We don't need to add more to the list.

Speaking of Mom, we wrote off my injuries to LA gangs and misunderstandings. She was horrified, like we all knew she was going to be. But, we're pretty sure she bought it. Glen threatened to track the thugs down and beat them to a bloody pulp. Clay said he understood. He said something about how LA thrives on violence.

Dad was another story. He didn't say anything. He just kind of looked at me, looked through me, maybe. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting to fool him. He sees so much shit everyday. That this probably wasn't a big deal to him. And, he's stood up for Ashley on a regular basis, so I'm not concerned.

Glen and Clay eventually found out about Ashley and me. It wasn't hard, considering they go to school with us. After the... bashing... I figured there was no point in trying to hide it. I don't think I wanted to hide it, anyway. There's no way I would be able to stand pretending to be friends with Ashley, when all I wanted to do was touch her. It's hard enough trying to do that around my parents. I wasn't about to do it all the time.

Clay was really cool about it. He didn't seem surprised. He said he knew all along that there were changes going on with me. He also understands what it's like to be different. Clay and I are okay.

Glen seems to be in denial. He's actually used Ashley and me as a way to further his rivalry with Aiden. According to him, Aiden's turned me gay, too. It's all Aiden's fault.

Personally, I think Glen spends a little too much time thinking about Aiden.

As far as my injuries go, I only have a little bruising left around my eye and a tiny scar on my lip. I trace it with my fingers, sometimes. Feeling the small rise of skin pulls me back to reality. It's one of those tiny reminders that I'm different from everyone else.

Fuck it, it doesn't matter. I'm happy regardless of what people think.

I'm laying here with Ashley, now, on her bed. My head is on her stomach, and it's good to close my eyes and feel her breathe. I focus all of my senses on her fingers playing with my hair absentmindedly. We've been sitting in silence for a while. I've lost track of time, and I don't care.

I just want to stay like this forever.

I felt her stomach rise and fall heavily as she sighed. She was thinking about something. That's a little scary.

"Spence, we have to tell her."

I knew what she was talking about. We've had this conversation a couple of times before. And it always ended the same way, me trying to explain that I'm not ready to deal with all that, and Ashley getting hurt because she thinks I'm ashamed of her. Why did we have to go through all this again?

"Ash, you know I'm not ready."

She was quiet for a minute. Almost too quiet. "Spencer, you seem to be ready to let people you don't care about know. But, you deny who I am to those you do care about. You'd think it'd be easier telling them than the losers at school."

That was so wrong, though. She's seen all of the crosses hanging in my house. She's been to one of my family's dinners. She's knows how fanatical my mom is about religion. She also knows how my mom feels about her. Telling my mother is the hardest thing I can think of doing right now.

"Ash... please..." I didn't want to start another argument with her. I just wanted to lay here. It was nice.

Her hand was still tangled in my hair. She made no movement to change that. "The thing is, Spence, is that she's going to find out one way or another. She'll guess from some look we share, or how close we've gotten. Or worse, she could catch us doing something."

"So, then we won't do anything at my house!" I said, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckled at that and my head bobbed up and down with her stomach. After a few minutes of silence, she started playing with my hair again. "I just think she'd handle it better if you told her yourself, rather than finding out some other way."

I sat up a little and leaned on my elbow, looking her in the eyes. "You're probably right. Just like you've been right about everything else. But, if we tell her now, she'll think you're the reason I got beat up. Can we at least wait until the bashing is old news?"

She rolled her eyes at me and flopped her head back on her pillow. "Fine, little miss scared! We'll wait until the almost invisible bruise on your eye is gone. Cause there's no way we're waiting for your lip to go back to normal. We'll be waiting forever, then."

I threw a spare pillow at her. "Jerk."


	2. Chapter 2

**Review Section**

MistyRiver17: I'm so sorry to hear that you're sick. Hopefully my words can help nurse you back to health!

Ariana: Mmm, yummy Spashley.

Krissy155: Thank you so much for your compliment. I like your stories, too.

Daniela: I get the feeling it's going to go in a very interesting direction.

Sp0rtigirl: Thank you for your review. It means a lot.

Darkdolphin2007: Yay, I portray Spashley well!

Brazliangirl125: I'm continuing, I'm continuing!

Justlikeyou: Yay, sequels!

**Author's Note**

_Yay, second chapter. So, I was thinking last night, that this story's probably going to wind up being bigger than the last. That's good, right? Yeah. I would like to thank my beta reader, NatitaluvsSmV, for their help._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 2**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

You know who we haven't had a run-in with in a long time? Madison. I would think that as soon as word got around that Ashley and I were together, she'd come running, dragging her snide comments close in tow.

Ashley and I were sitting at one of the tables in the courtyard, talking about random things. Things were so good with her. There was still the tiny strain of needing to tell my family, but other than that, things were fantastic. This was easily the best relationship I've been in.

And then I noticed Madison out of the corner of my eye. I knew this confrontation was coming sooner or later. I was pretty much ready for it.

She came up to us with her holier-than-thou attitude intact. "Spencer, looks like I really was right about you. Just one question, why did you even bother denying it earlier, if you're just going to parade it around, now?"

Ashley was ready with a comeback, as always. God, she's hot when she's being sarcastic. Well, when she's fighting with Madison, anyway. "Probably the same reason you denied your bitchiness freshman year, because you weren't a bitch then."

Madison looked down her nose at Ashley. I hated the way she looked at her. Ashley deserved to be looked at with admiration, not scorn. "Yeah, didn't think I was talking to you, Ellen. Have fun with Portia while you can."

She walked off, and when she was far enough away, Ashley and I shared a laugh. "Hey, at least I get to be the model," I joked.

Ashley shook her head amidst her laughter. "Yeah, well, Ellen's the funny one, anyway."

We laughed together for a few more minutes. When we finally calmed down, I looked at Ashley and asked, "What do you think she meant by 'have fun while you can'?"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Who knows, Spence. It's Madison."

We sat in silence for a little while. It was a comfortable silence. It was like we were both okay just being in each other's presence, and not feeling like we had to say something to remain comfortable. That's what I loved about Ashley.

Then, out of nowhere, the answer to my question popped into my head. "Ash, you don't think she'd tell Mom about us."

Ashley looked at me like I was crazy. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. She's with Glen all the time. She does spend a pretty good amount of time at my house. Hell, my mom loves her. What if she let's something 'slip'?"

"Yeah, but surely Glen's talked to her. She's evil, but not that..." She stopped for a moment, thoughtful. "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that your mom loves the cheer bitch, but can't stand me? Figures."

"Sorry, Ash."

"Hey, don't worry. It's not your fault." We were quiet then. But, this one was a little strained. Not enough to really bother us, but we both knew the strain was there. I felt her turn toward me, so i looked at her. She seemed to be studying my face. Suddenly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small mirror, holding it in front of my face. The first thing my eyes traveled to was that damn scar on my lip. I didn't get to look very long though, because Ashley broke my thoughts. "Your eye's back to normal."


	3. Chapter 3

**Review Section**

MistyRiver17: I'm sorry to hear that you've lost your voice. Hopefully it'll come back soon and you can cheer me on.

Justlikeyou: You know as well as I do that if it weren't difficult, it'd be a pretty dull story. And those are never fun to read.

**Author's Note**

_As usual, I would like to thank my beta reader, NatitaluvsSmV, for all of her help. There's not really much else to say about this chapter. Yeah._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 3**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

My heart was beating wildly in my chest as Ashley pulled up to my house. I had never dreaded being home this much in my life. What I was about to do, I couldn't even think of anything that compared to how scared I was for what I was about to do.

Ashley must have noticed my hesitation because I felt her take my hand. I looked over at her wide eyed, and she brought my hand up to her lips and kissed my palm, whispering "It'll be okay."

I felt a little better after that, but how could she promise the outcome? How could she sit there and tell me that it would be alright if she didn't really know?

Ashley wanted to be there when I told my mom about us. I tried to tell her that it would probably make matters worse, but she just didn't care. She said my mom was less likely to make a scene if some one other than family was in the house.

Ashley still doesn't know my mom very well.

With a heavy sigh I opened the door to the car , and started walking up to my house, Ashley following silently behind.

Mom wasn't home when we got there, so we headed up to my room to wait for her. Ashley laid sprawled out on my bed, cool as ever, while I paced the length of my room. She did try to calm me down, though.

"Spence, don't worry about it. Don't even think about what you're going to say now. Because in the heat of the moment, all your practicing is going to fly out the window."

I knew she was right, but I was still scared. I stopped my pacing and sighed for the fiftieth time in the past half hour.

Ashley got up from her spot on the bed and approached me very slowly, almost as if she were afraid that she would break me if she came at me too fast. I really must have looked like a mess. She closed the distance between us after what seemed like hours and brought her arms around me, wrapping me in a tight, yet gentle embrace. And I drew from her. I don't know what I drew, but with that hug, I felt stronger than I have felt in a long time.

And that's when we heard the front door open and close.

"I'm going to stand in the background, okay?" she whispered. "I need to be in the background, but I need to be here none the less."

I don't know why, but I understood. I understood why she couldn't stand next to me while I did this. This was something that I had to overcome on my own. Plain and simple.

We went downstairs and found my mom in the kitchen, starting dinner. Ashley stood in the door frame, her arms crossed over her chest, a small frown settled upon her features. I walked up to my mother. "Hey, Mom."

She looked up from her cutting board with a smile at me. "Hey, Spencer." She noticed Ashley behind me and her smile faded, and she greeted Ashley with much less enthusiasm. "Hello, Ashley."

"Um, Mom, can I talk to you?"

She went back to her chopping and said offhandedly, "Sure, Honey. You know you can talk to me about anything."

The fingers of my right hand fidgeted with the nail on my middle finger of my left hand. "You might not want to say that so soon..."

She snapped her head up and looked at me with a concerned look on her face. Her eyes flew over to Ashley behind me for a second before they rested on me again. She knew. She knew, but she was still going to make me say it. "Spencer, what is it?" Her face slowly changed from concern to anger.

"Well, Mom, it's just that..." I lost my voice for a moment. Then I looked behind me at Ashley and she gave me the tiniest of nods to continue. "Ashley and I... are in a... relationship." Surprisingly enough, the last word came out the strongest. Like I was sure of myself, even though I was standing in this incredibly frightening situation.

Mom set her knife down and stared at me for a moment, her lips pulled into a tight line. I noticed her eyes settle on the small scar on my lip. "I see." She was quiet for a few more seconds. "So, Ashley's the reason you got attacked."

This is exactly what I was afraid of. I didn't want anybody blaming Ashley for what happened to me. "No, Mom, Ash didn't do any..."

Mom waved her knife in Ashley's direction. "I was right about you. I knew you were bad for my daughter."

I tried again to stand up for her. "Mom, listen. Ashley didn't do anything."

"Oh, yes, she did. This never would have happened if you hadn't met her. This never would have happened if you had listened to me the first day when Glen told us she was gay. Everyone's corruptible, Spence, even you."

This time it was Ashley who spoke up. "With all due respect, Mrs. Carlin, I don't think you're being fair to either one of us right now."

"Well, with all due respect, Ashley, you don't have a right to talk right now." my mom told her in the most condescending tone I've ever heard her use.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Carlin. I think I have every right to speak because you're hurting Spencer. Can't you see that? And I don't like it when Spencer's hurt."

I was at a loss. Here I was, standing in my kitchen, watching my girlfriend and my mother battle over me. I couldn't handle this. I did the only thing I could think of doing at that point. I grabbed Ashley by the wrist and pulled her out the front door, getting in her car, hoping she would take the hint that we needed to leave.

My mother yelled at me all the way out to come back.

And for once, I didn't listen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Review Section**

braziliangirl125: I think it's safe to say that Paula does not get her ass kicked. Sorry.

Whisperedrainbow: Yes, gay drama is always interesting.

Ashlie: Standing up for Spencer just seems like something Ashley would do, you know?

Hilton: Well, I'm glad it amused you. It kind of amused me, too.

Daniela: Well, Ashley takes her away for a while, if that's any consolation.

MistyRiver17: Wow. Four thumbs, when you only have two. And ten more stars than the slots allow. I feel way special.

**Author's Notes**

_This chapter appears to be insanely random, but trust me, I am going somewhere with this. As always, I'd like to thank NatitaluvsSmV for all of her help._

_**Disclaimer: **Okay, so I've been forgetting to put this little disclaimer in lately. Completely careless of me, I know. But, I'm putting it in now, so hopefully that'll keep people from suing me. Eh, I'm a broke college student. They wouldn't get much, anyway. But, for the record, I do not own any of the characters from South Of Nowhere. They all belong to Tom Lynch. I'm just making them dance like little puppets for a while._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 4**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

I got home from basketball practice just as Spencer and Ashley were running out of the house. I tried to stop Spencer and ask her what was wrong, but I don't think she even realized I was there. She and Ashley just got into Ashley's car and drove off. I heard Mom yelling inside and went in to try to get the story.

Mom was pretty incoherent. I found her sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall.

"Mom, what's up?"

She didn't move her eyes to look at me. Instead she closed them tightly, as if trying to block out the world. "It would seem as if your sister..."

Now, it was clear. This was about Ashley. "Listen, Mom, it's not that big of a deal."

Her eyes snapped up and locked onto mine. "Not that big of a deal? She got attacked because of her relationship with Ashley. If you can even call it that."

"No, Mom, she got attacked because people are stupid."

"Glen, it never would have happened if she had stopped hanging out with that girl in the first place. I knew Ashley was going to throw her off her path."

I was starting to get a little angry. "Mom, it wasn't Ashley. It's all Aiden's fault. He turned Ashley gay. He must have done the same thing to Spencer."

I can't remember the rest of the conversation. I was thinking about Aiden. And I decided that all of this really was hst fault. If he hadn't screwed up my sister, my family would be the way we used to be. No one would have to yell at anyone else. Everything would be right.

I remember getting into my car and driving over to his house. I'd had to go and pick Spencer up there once or twice, so I knew where it was.

The door stung my knuckles as I knocked heavily on the door. After a few minutes, Aiden opened the door and I pushed him inside, pinning him against a wall. I guess his parent's weren't home, because no one came running to see what the noise was.

He looked at me like I was crazy, and that look enraged me even further. I couldn't stand this guy.

"My family's falling apart because of you!" I screamed in his face.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

I pushed him harder against the wall. I didn't want to hear him talking right now. "Yes, you did. You did something to Spencer to make her... weird. You did the same thing to Spencer that you did to Ashley, and now they're together."

He looked at me like I was a moron. Bad move. "Dude, they've been together for a while. I thought you knew."

"I did know. But, I thought maybe she'd get over it. Now, she's told Mom about it, and everything has gone to shit. It might have just been a phase, but the fact that she told our parents makes it real!"

He just stared back at me, hatred in his eyes and somewhere, behind everything else, understanding. It was that understanding that made me do what I did. I pressed myself against him, and kissed him. Hard.

He didn't fight. He didn't kiss back. He just let me do what I needed to. I pulled away, and I looked at him. And that same understanding that made me kiss him was still there, only not hidden in the back of everything. Now, his understanding was all right there.

And so I took him. Right there. I took him hard. I took him like I had always wanted to take a girl, but never could for fear they would break. I think I wanted him to break. I hated him so much. So, I took him.

He didn't fight it. If he had fought me, I never would have done it. He just let me do what I needed to do. And when I was finished, I left him in a pile on the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Section**

Braziliangirl125: There will be no Paula ass kicking. At least not for a while. I'll think about it.

Brittany: Yeah, Glen and Aiden made everybody go "huh?" But, that's okay.

Justlikeyou: We're back to Spencer and Ashley now, so you should be happy.

Sweetiepie1972: Thank you for the compliment.

MistyRiver17: No, no. I must be the strange one. Typing is really slow with only two hands. Yay, my story has potential, and it apparently rocks. I feel warm and fuzzy.

**Author's Note**

_Back to the wonderful Spashley goodness. I won't stray too far from them. But, I will stray. You have been warned._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters from South Of Nowhere. They all belong to the creator, Tom Lynch. But, it's fun to make them dance like puppets every once in a while._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 5**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

Spencer didn't seem to care where we went. She just wanted toB get away from the situation. It's not like I could blame her. I mean, we knew that her mom was going to act badly, but I guess she just wasn't prepared to handle it.

I was driving blindly, in a sense. I didn't know where I was going, but I kept following a route that I somehow knew.

That's why I wasn't surprised when the old playground came into view. The same old playground, where I showed my weakness to Spencer for the first time. This seemed to be the perfect spot to draw strength from each other.

We sat in the car for a few minutes in silence. There was nothing to say. I couldn't fix this. I couldn't make this better. And it killed me to know that.

I felt her push the car door open and get out. I watched her walk, her arms wrapped around her body, towards the swing set. She stood next to the swing that I had sat on, holding onto the chain, and looking out towards the sun that was in its first stages of setting.

I got out and walked up silently behind her. I didn't want to interrupt whatever she was doing. Whether she was thinking, wishing, looking, loving, losing... I didn't want to interrupt her.

I saw her shoulders shake as she let out a sigh, and I realized she must have been crying. I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. I still didn't say anything. It just didn't feel right.

Silence wasn't upon us, though. "Ash..." Spencer whispered softly into the wind.

I simply held her closer to me in an attempt to show her that I was there, and listening.

But, she didn't seem to want to talk. She just shook her head and sighed again. Before I even realized that I was doing anything, I found myself nuzzling her neck and kissing her jawline. Just once. It's not like I went to go give her a hickey. I just gave her a peck on her jaw, because that was the easiest place I could get to.

I heard her blow air out of her nose in a sad laugh, snort kind of thing. And then she turned her face to me, and her lips found mine.

"Thank you," she said into my mouth before pulling away.

I tried to give her to best smile I could muster under these circumstances. "For what?"

She turned around in my arms and draped her arms around my shoulders. "I just confronted the person that I've been terrified of my entire life. And you stood up for me. You stood up for me against the person that I never dreamed any one would stand up against." A few tears fell from her eyes. "Do you know how much that means to me?"

I raised my hand to wipe the tears away from her flushed cheeks. I didn't like it when she cried, but the tears made her eyes bright, and I fell into the endless blue that stood just inches away from me. "I can guess." We stood there in each other's arms for a minute before I broke the silence again. "Look, it's not that big of a deal. I'd stand up to anyone who was hurting you."

Her tears started to come again, and I realized that the tears would keep coming today. No matter how many times I wiped them away. But, I would keep wiping, because when tears dry, you can't move your face, and the frown that's there, will be etched forever. And I desperately wanted to see Spencer smile again.

"I know, Ash..."

The sun had set, and still we didn't leave the playground. We did move to the wooden play set where we could sit down, but we weren't ready to leave our sanctuary yet.

I saw her profile in the moonlight, and marveled at the way the moon's rays played with her hair. I also couldn't help but notice the small rise on her lip where her scar was. That tiny scar seemed to be the cause of all of this shit. Maybe if we could find a way to make it disappear, all the rest of the crap would disappear, too.

It seemed that everything was going horribly lately, and I couldn't help but ask myself if there would be anything left.

Yet, a part of me had grown attached to that small scar. It was a reminder of what she went through for me. Okay, sure, it wasn't really for me, but the fact that what happened didn't stop her from wanting to be with me was heartening.

And so I thought that maybe everything wasn't as bad as it seemed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Review Section**

Daniela: Yay for something interesting! Yes, they stayed cute. It wouldn't be South Of Nowhere if they weren't cute.

MistyRiver17: Of course I went back to Spencer and Ashley. Is this soon enough for you to give me a hug?

Justlikeyou: Yay for me and capturing emotions. I always worry that I can't do that.

**Author's Note**

_Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It always makes me happy to know that people are enjoying my stuff._

_**Disclaimer: **These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Tom Lynch, the creator of South Of Nowhere._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 6**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

I don't know how long Ashley and I stayed at the playground. We lost track of time. Funny thing, we weren't really doing anything. We just sat there in blissful silence. And she held me. She held me until I felt myself fall asleep. Then she nudged me gently and told me that we should probably go.

I didn't want to go home, though. I wasn't ready to face my mom, yet. And I wanted to stay with Ashley. She made me feel safe. I wasn't ready to leave that safety.

She seemed to read my mind, because she didn't take me home. She took me to her house. And that feeling of safety washed over me again. I felt her eyes on me as we sat in the driveway, waiting to see if I was okay with staying here tonight. I was more than okay with that. Home wasn't a good option for me. I just didn't feel safe, there.

I turned my face towards her, and she looked so strong and supportive, and so understanding. I melted at everything Ashley was. Here she was being exactly what I needed her to be, and yet, I knew that there was so much more beneath her strong exterior.

And I marveled at the fact that I was the only one who got to see all the sides of Ashley.

"Look," she started. "I understand if you don't want to stay here. I just thought that it might be easier for tonight, you know, with..."

I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine. I don't know why I did it. The situation didn't really call for it, but it felt right. Because she was so beautiful to me right now. "I want to stay here."

She flashed me her beautiful smile before getting out of the car, beckoning me to follow. We went directly up to her room, not bothering to even see if her mother was home so we could ask her if I could stay. She probably wasn't, anyway.

I flopped down on Ashley's bed and almost immediately fell asleep when I felt her presence standing over me. She had her eyebrow cocked and a phone in her hand. She handed the phone to me. "You should probably call home. Tell them you're safe."

I couldn't believe she was being the responsible one here. This was Ashley, wild, reckless Ashley. She must have seen the look on my face, because it wasn't long before she said, "Your mom already hates me enough. There's no way I'm letting her think I kidnapped you."

I smiled and took the phone, dialing my home number hesitantly. I was relieved when Clay answered the phone.

"Oh, my God, Spencer. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Clay, I'm fine." I paused for a moment, not sure of what to say. "How is everyone."

There was a soft sigh coming from his end. "Dad and Glen are out looking for you. Mom's in her room, crying."

Somehow, I wasn't surprised. "Clay, do me a favor. Call Dad and Glen and tell them that I'm safe. They don't have to be out searching anymore."

"Where are you?"

"Clay, I'm not going to tell you that. I know you can't lie, and if they ask you, you'll tell them, and they'll come running to get me. And I don't want to be gotten."

Silence. Pure silence was what I got for a while. "Spencer, you can come home, you know that, right? Yeah, she's pissed, but she's not going to kick you out, or anything."

"I know that, Clay, I just... don't want to be there tonight." A thought occurred to me at that moment. "How did Dad take it?"

"Honestly? He wasn't surprised. He said he knew something was going on with you since we moved here. He was just waiting for you to tell us."

"But, he's okay, right?"

"Yeah. You know this is nothing compared to what he deals with everyday."

My Dad was okay with this. That meant he might be able to do some damage control with Mom. "Look, Clay, just call them and tell them I'm safe. Tell Mom, too. And I won't be home tonight."

He sighed again. He wasn't happy being the messenger boy. "Okay, Spence. Just promise me that you'll come home and deal with this tomorrow."

I couldn't turn Clay down, and I knew I would have to face Mom sooner or later. "Alright, Clay. I promise. Good night."

"Good night."

And then I was left with a dial tone and Ashley. But, I couldn't find Ashley. I set the phone down and looked around her room. She really was nowhere to be found.

That's when I felt her arms wrap around my waist from behind, pulling me close to her body. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back onto her shoulder. I felt her breath on my ear. "Interesting move, not telling them where you are."

I spoke without moving from my position. "This moment right here. This is what I didn't want them to ruin. You and I both know that if I had told them, they would have come here to take me away, and cause even more drama tonight."

She pressed her lips against the base of my neck. "You're right. No more drama tonight."

I reached my hand behind her neck and grazed my nails along her sensitive flesh. I felt her moan onto my neck.

"Wait a minute," she said into my neck. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be doing this now." She released me from her arms and backed away from me.

I turned around and found her laying on her back on the opposite side of the bed. I crawled over to her and draped my arm around her waist, settling my head on her shoulder. I leaned my face up towards her ear and whispered, "That's good. Because I wasn't looking for that." I kissed her earlobe. "I just want to be with you tonight."

She moved her hand to hold mine, intertwining her fingers with mine. She turned her face to me and kissed me before turning off the light.

That's how we fell asleep, blissfully safe in each other's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Review Section**

justlikeyou: Happy sighs are always fun. Yay for cuteness

MistyRiver17: RIGHT ON, I GOT A BUNNY! That makes me feel so warm and fuzzy... kind of like a bunny! Yay for romance.

**Author's Notes**

_This chapter's really just about getting information out there. Not a lot happens. Sorry. But, this might clear some stuff up._

_**Disclaimer: ** I do not own these characters. They belong to Tom Lynch, the creator of South Of Nowhere._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 7**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

I saw Glen at school the next day, the day after he came to my house and freaked out on me. He was huffing and puffing all over the place, acting like a complete idiot. All it took was me looking at him for him to shove me into some lockers.

He got real close to me and whispered fiercely in my ear. "You don't say a fucking word."

I pushed him off of me in one move, no struggling, or anything. "Calm down, hotshot! You have nothing to worry about."

I started to walk away when I heard him yelling "Faggot!" at me. Gee, the thanks I get for letting him vent his insecurities on me. Oh, well. No big deal. As long as he understood that that went both ways, we were fine. I'll be there whenever he needs to feel like a big man, and when I'm feeling overwhelmed, he's going to be there, too. Whether he knows it or not.

I walked out into the courtyard and noticed Spencer and Ashley sitting on a picnic table. I approached them cautiously, not knowing if I would be interrupting something or not.

"Hey, girls," I greeted them. Then I remembered what Glen said last night. He mentioned Spencer telling her mom about Ashley. "You okay, Spencer?"

She looked at me kind of funny. "What do you mean?"

"Your brother came looking for you last night. Is everything alright?"

She smiled at me. "Yeah, everything is okay. He came looking for me at your house? God, what is he, obsessed?"

I laughed along with her and Ashley. It was kind of funny that she would say that, anyway, considering the night I had. To be honest, it didn't sound far from the truth.

"Well, good luck, guys. I mean that."

They both thanked me before I turned and walked off. I noticed Madison hanging off of Glen's arm, and he just glared daggers at me. Did he really think that I was going to tell anyone? That would have been torture on me, too. God, Glen can be such a moron. I did manage to catch some of their conversation, though.

"You mean Spencer already told your mom? Damn."

"What 'damn', Madison? My family's been turned upside down, and all you can say is 'damn'?"

Stupid Glen. If he had paid any attention, he would have noted that she had said 'already'. Meaning, she had been planning to spill the beans at some point. She was upset because she couldn't cause problems for Ashley. That was really the big thing. She was still holding a grudge against Ashley. Before, she was getting at her by dating me. Now she was going after her by getting close to Spencer's brother, so she'd have easy access to cause drama for Spencer, which in turn, would cause problems for Ashley.

Girls are really conniving little bitches.

But, why was she so obsessed with hurting Ashley. It's not like she's ever actually done anything to her. Ashley was just Ashley, trying to find her way. What could Madison possibly gain by standing in her way all the time?

Unless... no, not Madison... I just need to stop thinking now. All of this is getting way too complicated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Review Section**

S.O.N.luva: I'm glad that this one's just as awesome as the first.

Ariana: Mmm, thickening plot.

Daniela: Yay for Aiden and him being smart.

MistyRiver17: Ah, Ash and Spence time. It is good, isn't it? That's a freaking cute mouse, man.

His Keno Waitress: I'm not all that sure that I'm going to explore the Madison thing. It depends on my mood when the time comes.

**Author's Notes**

_Okay, so this story is coming to a close. That's right, this is the last chapter. Not to worry, I've got a third story floating around in my head somewhere. Keep a watch out for that._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Tom Lynch, the creator of South Of Nowhere._

**Not Where We've Been**

**Chapter 8**

**By Persephone's Nautical Nun**

As Ashley's car creeped closer to my house, I grew more panicked. I knew I was going to have to face my mother not only for my relationship with Ashley, but also for staying out all night.

Ashley seemed to read my thoughts as we pulled up into the driveway. "Hey, maybe she'll understand, you know? Maybe she'll realize that you couldn't come home right away."

I appreciated what she was trying to do for me, but the fact remained that I had done something that I shouldn't have, and I was going to get my ear twisted off for it.

"Hey, Spence, if you want me to stay, I mean, if you need an out or anything... I can stay."

God, she really was too good. But, I needed to do this on my own. "No, Ash. You were right. This, all of this, coming to terms with my feelings for you, telling my mom, I have to do it on my own."

She squeezed my hand and flashed me one of her shining smiles. I loved her smile. It could brighten any mood I was in. I studied her face for a long time, trying to memorize every line and curve of her face, just in case this was the last time I'd be able to freely be with her. Mom was sure to keep an even closer eye on me than ever before.

Before I realized what happened, Ashley's soft mouth was kissing mine. I don't know who closed the distance between us, and I kind of liked it that way. It meant that we were so comfortable with each other, that these transitions were seamless.

I didn't notice when we started to get a little more physical. I honestly don't know when she managed to climb onto my lap. I honestly don't know when my hands roamed to Ashley's sides, or when my fingers clutched at the fabric there. I honestly don't know when her fingertips hooked themselves under the hem of my pants. And I honestly don't know at what point in time our mouths agreed to open for each other's tongues. But, the thing is, I didn't care to know. Because I needed that. At that point in time, I needed it. I needed to feel close to Ashley.

What I didn't need, was my mom coming out of the house and seeing us like that. I also didn't need her tapping on the window in order to get us to stop. It must have been torture for Ashley. For the first time, I actually saw her blush. She was embarrassed, and not in a cute way. She was embarrassed in a way that I hoped I wouldn't see.

Ashley hastily crawled off of me and moved back to the driver's seat. She wouldn't meet my eyes, but I wasn't upset. I knew why she wouldn't.

"Ash..." I searched for words to make her feel better.

She glanced at me for a split second before turning away. It dawned on me that she felt dirty, because that's how my mother viewed it. "You'd better go, Spence, before your mom freaks out even more."

There was nothing I could do but listen to her. I got out of the car and immediately felt my mother's hand on my back, ushering me into the house. I quickly sped up, trying to get away from her hand.

When we got inside, she told me to sit down, and so I did. She seemed like she was trying to be calmer about this than she really was.

"Spencer, I spoke with a therapist today."

A therapist? Where was she going with this? "Okay..."

"And she said, that it wouldn't be a good idea to separate you and Ashley. She said it could do damage to your mental health."

Well, the therapist got that right. I'd probably go insane if I couldn't see Ashley.

"So, Spencer, I've come up with an ultimatum for you."

And ultimatum, huh? I was ready for whatever she had in store.

"You can continue seeing Ashley, on the condition that you start therapy... to maybe cure you of this... sickness."

Sickness? Now, I was sick. First, I was corrupted, now I was sick. Couldn't she just accept it and move on? Nothing could change how I felt about Ashley. That much I was sure of. Seeing a therapist wasn't going to change my feelings for her. And, if I went and saw this therapist, I would be allowed to see Ashley. My answer was easy. I'd have to work on Mom, later, to get her to see that I was happy. But, for now, I'd humor her. Anything to keep Ashley in my life.

"Okay, Mom. I'll start therapy."

The End


End file.
